The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-05

AlgnC lodgings, passing en- route the Variety
and Augusta springs. This day we covered
nineteen miles on foot that went TO our
record as the greatest distance made any
one day except the last.
We had now become veterans, and before
O'Clock the next morning we were up and
ready for a good country breakfast, which
was served, as were all our meals, with the
greatest abundance of the most delicious
fresh milk and butter, the milk forming our
main diet throughout.
Our programme on starting out on this
expedition was to start as early after day
break as possible and walk till the heat of
the day, then go into camp till 4 or ), after
which to start out again, walking till night
brought us to some hospitable farm house,
| but always keeping within a mile or two of
the carriage, i'll case of any accident, of
which, fortunately, there was none, except
| the breaking of the axle. which occurred in
Staunton.
OVER THE MOUNTAINS.
The walk over the mountains or through
the valleys in the early morn or late after
noon was very lovely and delightful, but
| we found the midday camp good and solid
comfort. The gentlemen first attended to
| the horses, unhitched and gave them feed,
| then unloaded the carriage and looked to
the ladies. We generally found grass
| covered and shady place for camp near by
| a spring and on the banks of a running
| stream; and after our lunch or dinner, dur
ing which we talked over and related the
incidents of the morning, interspersed with
anecdotes and bon nIOtS, we spread blankets
and all went to sleep on the ground
or all our tramps the walk through Little
Calf Pasture Valley and Goshen Pass was
the most delightful The soft and feminine
beauty of the former bore contrast to the
rugged and majestic magnificence of the
latter. Through the pass there was river
on our left, perfect of its kind, its crystal
waters now roaring over some rocky steep
and again at rest in some lake>like pool
where the mountain trout has his home,
while across tower huge and impressive
crags and boulders On our right is the deli
cate green of early summer wild flowers
peeping out through soft ferns of various
kind, but mainly the delicate maiden's hair,
and clustering here and there i'll groups by
the roadside, with rocks and crags hanging
hundreds OF feet up over our heads. Six
miles through this grand, wild and beautiful
pass brings us out into valley opening
down to Lexington, and we soon come to
Rockbridge Baths, where we go into camp
and take plunge into its invigorating
pool.
Though we had left behind us, near the
university, the old homes of jefferson,
Madison and Monroe, with the graves of the
two former, we felt on coming to Lexington
that we came to the Mecca of Virginia,
where are resting the moldering bones of
our two great military heroes, Lee and
jackson. A Southerner visits their tombs
with a veneratiOn only akin to religion, for
entombed there are the sacred memories OF
four years of bloody strife and many years
of trampled pride and poverty. If we went
there then with bowed heads and our hearts
beat with quicker emotions and we felt
drawn nearer to God, it was because we
thought of them, our people and ourselves.
The following day we reached the Natural
Bridge, and. after spending several hours
there, pushed on to Buchanan, TO get a good
nights rest before starting up the fourteen
mile ascent to the Peaks of Otter.
5000 FEET UP.
In this the road wound in and out and
round about the mountains, with their crags
and steep places picturesque and beautiful
always going upward, till at last little GAP
is reached, one mile from the top. Here
there is only steep path leading up, but
after an hours pull it is climbed and we are
on the peaks, 5000 feet above the valleys
below. What a splendid sight meets us
Forty counties, with their towns and ham
lets, stretch out at our feet. Here is Bote
tourt Immediately below, that seems laugh
lIlS anu SLlllllIlS llhC d SdIucu VI DOWtIS
and Rockbridge, with her variations OF
mountain and valley, and we can see the
James run down to Lynchburg, forty miles
away, and then turn to lose itself on its
way to Richmond and the sea, while away
off to the west rise the AlleghanieS in West
Virginia, and far down to the south stands
peak that tells us that North Carolina is
there The air is deliciously cool and
bracing, and sitting on the topmOst rock
the panorama below and round about glis-
tens and CLEANS in the clear sunshine, and
Virginia's fair valleys and woody noun
tains fill the eyes vision with sights that no
pen can picture nor hand paint. At sunset
the gorgeousness of the heavens awakes
ones every artistic FIBRE but the approach
of Aurora, spreading the soft light of morn
over this scene, awakeS your very soul to
communion with land and sky.
1t was SO lovely and enchanting here that
we spent two days. The hotel is a mere
cabin e.rched on the summit between the
rocks. There are rocks to the right of it,
rocks to the left of it, and it is itself the
rocSiest structure ever built. There is one
long room below that serves as a dining
room, parlOr, office and may be a bedroom
Tor the one servant, with loft above that
is divided into two parts one for the ladies
and one for the gentlemen, with many beds
III each, but only one chair and washstand
10 q DIVISION. Inc ulGt at This motel
consists of chicken, eggs, biscuits, coffee
and gJeen ranwater three times day.
The c0oking-well, it is only necessary to say
that one of the young ladies took charge of
the kitchen after the first meal and cooked
the chicken, eggs, coffee and made the bis
cults, much to the delight and apparent
admiration of the gentlemen, who had good
appetites and who when thirsty, had to
mix coffee with the water to destroy the
green tint.
From the peaks the return Journey was
made by more direct route, that CON
sumed only three days, but carried US
through the lovelest portion of the valley
of Virginia, where the golden grain was
ripe and harvesting busily going on.
Our last day was one probably worth
mentioning, III that it gave the best walk
ing record of any. Night was spent near
Baskerville, but before daybreak we were
all astir. Ahead lowered the Blue Ridge
Mountains. that must he crossed over u
rough road through Rocklish Cup, and the
university was twenty-eight miles away.
This whole distance was walked by one of
the ladies in tell hours. and so far was she
from being tired or worn our at the end that
she ran the last 200 ards, beating one of
the gentlemen
Uncles ducliing did him no harm and we
have restored him safely to aunte, who had
loaned him to us for the trip We are all
sound and well and still talking over what
was TO each and every one OF us q summer
tour that will live long in the memory of